Acclimation
by trufflemores
Summary: 5x20, "The Untitled Rachel Berry Project" reaction fic. First night back at the loft; Kurt marvels at the simple joys of having a fiance to cuddle again. Fluff fluff fluff. Klaine. COMPLETE.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Glee or any of its characters; Ryan Murphy and Co. hold that honor. I'm simply writing this for fun, not profit.

The bed was warm again.

It was the first thing that Kurt noticed as he rolled over at two in the morning with a disgruntled little noise, startled by God knew what outside the loft.

Even frustrated as he was by the fleeting nature of his dreams, though, he couldn't help but sigh softly in contentment as he sprawled comfortably outward. The bed was _warm _and he could hear Blaine snoring softly at his side, cold toes flexing in the sheets as he listened and stretched and waited for his mind to adjust to awareness again. Less than three months ago he would have dreaded the close proximity, Blaine's skin like a furnace against his own, slowly accumulating heat until it was impossible to sleep against him.

Further aggravating the situation, Blaine always wanted to cuddle. He _craved _cuddles in a bone-deep way that Kurt attributed to his natural need for love in a physical way, even though Kurt had always been more easily satisfied with less tactile expressions of love. Blaine needed the touches, the _thank yous _and _thank Gods _and _I'm so happy I'm in love with yous _that accompanied each wordless movement. It was no surprise, then, that at his most vulnerable Blaine wanted an anchor, and Kurt fit perfectly into his arms, cushioned against him like the warmest, nicest body pillow in existence. (Or so Kurt assumed; at any rate, his attempts to switch Blaine to body pillows had been entirely unsuccessful and, after much pouting and promises not to cling as much, Blaine had managed to sway Kurt back into nighttime cuddles.)

Tonight, however, Blaine's hold had loosened enough for Kurt to slip free entirely, his body curled on its side beside him as he snoozed on, oblivious. Brushing a hand down his back experimentally, Kurt draped his fingers over Blaine's hip as he scooted closer to him again, testing the amount of heat that he was radiating tonight. Blaine didn't stir at all, smacking his lips together in a soft, almost questioning noise before resuming his steady, rumbling snores as Kurt rubbed slow circles against his hip.

There was something intensely comforting about having Blaine there that made Kurt's heart _ache _with love for him. They already kept the door to the loft locked, and Kurt wasn't afraid of a physical confrontation with someone, but it was nice to know that he wouldn't have to face any threats alone. Blaine was there. Blaine wouldn't let him face the world alone; not again.

Kurt's fingers tightened at the thought – he knew that Blaine still felt guilty about the attack, could see it in his eyes any time their conversations neared the topic. They had both pointedly avoided talking about it once Kurt was out of the hospital and attending classes again, but that didn't mean that Kurt couldn't tell that Blaine was affected. Blaine wanted to be the knight in shining armor that he had once almost seemed – Kurt knew that by Blaine's own admission, albeit in different words – but he also couldn't protect Kurt from everything.

_We're a team, _Kurt had insisted, again and again, _we protect each other._

Letting his thumb trace the slow rise of Blaine's side from hip to shoulder, Kurt scooted closer until he was properly spooning him, inching his legs forward until they were curved just so before pressing his cold toes to Blaine's warm ankles.

Blaine grunted at the contact and awoke with a groggy, "Kurt?" His feet flexed but didn't move underneath Kurt's, his entire body shimmying a little as he settled back into the contact. "Kurt?"

"Go back to sleep, angel," Kurt shushed, kissing his curls once.

"Mm." Blaine stilled and sighed against him, rolling over slowly until he was facing Kurt, fingers curling in the front of his shirt as he leaned his cheek against Kurt's shoulder, eyes closed. "Y'okay?"

"I'm fine," Kurt assured softly, running his hand up and down Blaine's back, marveling at the warmth, the solidity underneath his fingertips. Blaine was so _strong, _refusing to give an inch of ground when he could avoid it but yielding easily to Kurt because he _trusted _Kurt. "Go back to sleep. Just heard a truck."

"Mm," Blaine repeated, a soft, sympathetic sound as he tucked his forehead against Kurt's neck. "Wake me up 'f it bothers you again," he sighed, already drifting as Kurt ran his fingers up to the base of his neck and tangled them in the shorter curls there.

"I will," Kurt said, stroking his thumb over the skin there until he felt Blaine's breathing even and deepen once more.

It was still warm with the two of them huddled under the sheets, warmer than Kurt might have preferred it, and it would be _unbearable _in the summer months unless they fixed the AC properly, but it was cozy and comfortable and just right for Kurt and his cold toes then, and as he hitched a leg over Blaine's to keep him close, he couldn't find anything to complain about.

Because inevitably, it seemed, even sleep – the simplest of things, the most forgettable of things – was better with Blaine around.


End file.
